"Gov. Martin O'Malley said Thursday that Maryland will not meet its ambitious goal to cut greenhouse gases unless the state adopts more aggressive measures he is proposing."

"The governor -- who said the state has a 'moral obligation' to avert climate change -- outlined several strategies for more quickly reducing gases that drive global warming.

'This work is hard,' said O'Malley, a Democrat. 'It is life-and-death hard.'

The accelerated plan would require the use of more renewable energy, which in the short term could drive up energy costs, and calls for cutting energy consumption by residents. To meet the state-mandated goal of cutting carbon emissions 25 percent by 2020, O'Malley also suggested boosting composting and recycling programs, doubling ridership on public transit, planting more trees and lowering the emissions cap on the state's seven coal-burning power plants."